Bob Merz

Turnaround Expert | Change Agent | Revenue Acceleration Strategist | Go-to-Market Leader | Market Expansion Developer | Brand Growth Architect | Collaborative Leader | Team Builder & Mentor

Berthoud, Colorado, United States

About

πƒπ‘πˆπ•πˆππ† πŒπ€π‘πŠπ„π“ π„π—ππ€ππ’πˆπŽπ β€’ πƒπ„π‹πˆπ•π„π‘πˆππ† 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 π†π‘πŽπ–π“π‡ β€’ ππ”πˆπ‹πƒπˆππ† πˆπ‚πŽππˆπ‚ 𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒 I drive growth and lead turnarounds: 7-𝐄π₯𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 (+14%), 𝐎𝐫𝐒𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬 (+17%), 𝐚𝐧𝐝 π’πšπšπ’-πžπ§πšπ›π₯𝐞𝐫 π€πππ’π­πžπœπ‘ (+28%). I build customer connections and loyalty, delivering commercial success across industries, categories, and channels, in consumer, B2B, and retail sectors. I turn good brands into great brandsβ€”blending market insight, bold strategy, and creative execution to unlock meaningful growth. I combine creative vision with commercial precision to revitalize underperforming brands, open new markets, and align cross-functional teams with customer insights to accelerate adding value. My background spans 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲, 𝐩𝐫𝐒𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞, and 𝐏𝐄/𝐕𝐂 πžπ§π―π’π«π¨π§π¦πžπ§π­π¬β€”leading fast-moving teams through complexity, change, and scale. π–π‘πšπ­ 𝐨𝐭𝐑𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐲 - "𝑰 π’‰π’Šπ’ˆπ’‰π’π’š π’“π’†π’„π’π’Žπ’Žπ’†π’π’… 𝑩𝒐𝒃 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒔 π’“π’†π’’π’–π’Šπ’“π’Šπ’π’ˆ π’”π’•π’“π’‚π’•π’†π’ˆπ’Šπ’„ π’Žπ’‚π’“π’Œπ’†π’•π’Šπ’π’ˆ, π’„π’π’Žπ’Žπ’–π’π’Šπ’„π’‚π’•π’Šπ’π’π’” π’†π’™π’‘π’†π’“π’•π’Šπ’”π’†, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 π’”π’•π’“π’π’π’ˆ π’π’†π’‚π’…π’†π’“π’”π’‰π’Šπ’‘." - Alan Cerwick, CEO, VP Racing β€œπ‘©π’π’ƒ π’Šπ’” eπ’™π’„π’†π’‘π’•π’Šπ’π’π’‚π’π’π’š 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍. π‘―π’Šπ’” π’‚π’ƒπ’Šπ’π’Šπ’•π’š 𝒕𝒐 π’•π’‰π’Šπ’π’Œ 𝒐𝒏 π’‰π’Šπ’” 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 π’ˆπ’†π’π’†π’“π’‚π’•π’† π’Šπ’Žπ’‘π’‚π’„π’•π’‡π’–π’ π’Šπ’…π’†π’‚π’” 𝒔𝒆𝒕𝒔 π’‰π’Šπ’Ž 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 π’‡π’“π’π’Ž 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 π’Žπ’‚π’“π’Œπ’†π’•π’Šπ’π’ˆ π’†π’™π’†π’„π’–π’•π’Šπ’—π’†π’”.” - Steve Miller, CEO, Additech β€œπ‘Ίπ’Šπ’Žπ’‘π’π’š 𝒑𝒖𝒕, 𝑩𝒐𝒃 π’ƒπ’“π’Šπ’π’ˆπ’” π’ƒπ’“π’†π’‚π’Œπ’•π’‰π’“π’π’–π’ˆπ’‰ π’•π’‰π’Šπ’π’Œπ’Šπ’π’ˆ 𝒕𝒐 π’π’Šπ’‡π’† 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒕 𝒂 𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 π’Šπ’” π’•π’“π’‚π’π’”π’‡π’π’“π’Žπ’‚π’•π’Šπ’π’π’‚π’.” - Des Hague, CEO, Orion Foods (now OLM). π–π‘πšπ­ 𝐈 𝐁𝐫𝐒𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐑𝐞 π“πšπ›π₯𝐞: βœ” Turnaround, Brand Creation & Market Expansion – Multimillion-dollar launches and category growth strategies βœ” Integrated Marketing Leadership – GTM strategy, full-scale campaigns, positioning, PR, and communications βœ” P&L & Growth Acceleration – Driving top-line revenue through data-driven strategy and execution βœ” Customer Experience Innovation – Boosting engagement across digital, retail, and omnichannel platforms βœ” Strategic Partnerships & Licensing – High-value alliances with manufacturers and global retailers βœ” High-Impact Team Leadership – Inspiring cross-functional teams with clarity, purpose, and active mentorship. βœ” MarTech Optimization & Full-Funnel Digital Transformation, AI-driven Open to CMO, VP/Director roles, Fractional CMO, Board Seats, and consulting opportunities. Let’s connect.

Experience

  • DIRECTOR, MARKETING (VP-LEVEL SCOPE) at VP Racing Fuels
    2018 - 2025 Β· 7 yrs

    Recruited by the CEO to lead brand strategy, communications, and licensing for this global auto aftermarket manufacturer. Spearheaded brand governance across global markets. Led 360+ initiatives remotely for 4 years with collaboration tools, Salesforce, Asana, CoSchedule, Ziflow, Teams, Zoom, etc. β€’ E-Commerce Growth Strategy: Directed the development of a new optimized e-commerce website, increasing contacts database 5X and boosting web sales by 58% in 12 months. β€’ Licensing Revenue: Launched licensing program with Mattel and 26 others, generating $175K in annual royalties, expanding into 6 new product categories, global markets, and 6 new retail channels. β€’ Product Placement & Visibility: Secured TV and movie placements, expanding brand exposure to a 310M global audience in two years. β€’ Brand Identity & Standards: Led the 2023 corporate & brand identity refresh, ensuring consistency across all touch points. β€’ Brand Governance: Created the first Brand Standards Guide, ensuring compliance across all assets and communications; oversaw and policed 200+ international trademarks and 30+ domains for compliance and infringement. β€’ Retail Brand & Licensing: Established brand standards for three licensed Branded Retail Platforms, building consumer trust. β€’ Retail Expansion: Launched airport concession drive with international concessionaires, such as WH Smith, to establish retail footprints in high-traffic airports. β€’ Employee Engagement: Led culture initiatives, increasing employee favorability ratings by 13% in one year across all locations. β€’ Communications/Public Relations: Led and directed all corporate communications, press releases, crisis communications, CEO communiques, newsletters, and advertising, for a consistent, positive brand narrative. β€’ Brand Extension: Launched VP Powermaster Fitness gym and protein powder line, reaching break-even in year one, and 23% ROI in year two.

  • Vice President, Marketing at Additech
    2016 - 2018 Β· 2 yrs

    Recruited by 𝐕𝐂 𝐟𝐒𝐫𝐦 π€ππšπ¦π¬ π‚πšπ©π’π­πšπ₯ 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 as part of a high-impact turnaround team for this 2,000+ retail location SaaS fuel additive provider, charged with redefining brand positioning, expanding global reach, and driving revenue growth. β€’ Brand Repositioning & SKU Strategy: Led a full-scale brand refresh and pricing strategy overhaul across key SKUs, driving a 12% year-over-year increase in product take rate and improved brand cohesion. β€’ International Market Expansion: Spearheaded the company’s first international distribution in Australia and South Africa, generating $378K in revenue during year one. β€’ Brand Portfolio Expansion: Developed and launched two new consumer-facing brandsβ€”DieselGuard and EverDriveβ€”broadening category relevance and shelf impact. β€’ Agile Product Testing & Market Response: Piloted diesel additive performance testing; leveraged real-time retail insights to iterate messaging and pricing, resulting in an 11% take-rate lift and go-to-market validation. β€’ Digital Presence & SEO Optimization: Oversaw the development of a modernized, high-conversion corporate website with an integrated SEO strategy to increase traffic by 18% and engagement by 53%. β€’ Customer Experience Innovation: Redesigned retail fuel dispensers to enhance user interface and streamline customer interaction, elevating overall UX and brand perception. β€’ Integrated Marketing & PR Strategy: Executed full-funnel marketing communications and public relations plans, boosting brand visibility and customer engagement across retail markets.

  • Senior Marketing Consultant & Fractional CMO at Brand!t Marketing
    2006 - 2016 Β· 10 yrs

    Recruited by the CEO to provide strategic marketing and communications consulting for large and small businesses, including major oil industry clients and consumer brands. β€’ Business Growth & Revenue Expansion: Increased annual revenue by 32% over ten years, securing long-term engagements and high-value clients. β€’ Diversification & Market Expansion: Expanded client portfolio across retail, food, food service, and fitness industries, generating a 12% lift in revenue.

  • Executive Vice President, Strategic Marketing, Brand & Product Development at OLM Food Solutions
    2003 - 2006 Β· 3 yrs

    Recruited by 𝐏𝐄 𝐟𝐒𝐫𝐦 𝐊𝐨𝐑π₯π›πžπ«π  & π‚π¨π¦π©πšπ§π² as part of a turnaround team to lead all marketing strategy, brand management, and product development for this multi-channel, $250M food service company with 2,000+ locations, including c-store, military, education, and healthcare channels. β€’ Revenue Growth & Market Turnaround: Reversed a three-year 8% decline, delivering an 8.9% increase in same-store sales from 2004-2006. β€’ Retail Store Design Optimization: Redesigned c-store retail presentation, implementing a modular construction model that saved $8K per unit and $1.6M annually. β€’ Multi-Channel Sales Expansion: Led menu development and branding for military, education, and healthcare sectors, increasing sales by 12%. β€’ Retail Franchise Growth: Developed new menus and brands for c-stores, driving a 16% increase in franchised locations from 2004-2006. β€’ Brand & Product Management Structure: Established Brand Management, Product Management, and Communications disciplines, creating a scalable marketing infrastructure, while learning and managing food regulatory compliance. β€’ Budget Optimization & Cost Reduction: Rebuilt and optimized marketing budgets, achieving $1.7M in savings while maintaining campaign impact.

  • Retained Consultant at Camelot Communications
    2002 - 2003 Β· 1 yr

    Engaged by the CEO to increase new business opportunities and optimize client retention for the largest independent paid media and PR agency in the U.S. β€’ New Business Development & Client Growth: Strengthened partnerships with Southwest Airlines, 7-Eleven, and other high-profile brands, leading to a 7% revenue increase for the agency.